Is that my phone?
Jan. 25th, 2007 05:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kickahaI've been having a problem for the last 18 months or so with perpetual ringing in my ears. It's a lovely high-pitched whine, and in the dead of night it can be so loud as to keep me up. (Imagine a jar of mosquitos next to your ear, or a mistuned CRT.)
Obviously, cranking up the iPod to drown out the very noisy library and coffeeshop environments that I wrote most of my dissertation in was a bad idea. :P
So, I've been looking for earphones that I can keep *low*, but still have good sound. I've been looking at noise-cancelling headphones for about a year, but every pair I've tried on make my ears feel like I've been dropped into a vacuum. It's a weird sensation, and I don't care for it too much. I figured it was the only way to go though. I was pointed at canalphones recently, and was interested in trying them out - think earplug + speaker. Instead of being liking an earbud, which sits just outside, and has to fight with external noise to be heard (ie, you have to crank it up past the ambient noise), canalphones fit *inside* your ear, down in the ear canal, just like earplugs, and the speaker pipe is much, much closer to your eardrum. Bottom line? Don't turn them up. Really. Also, noise reduction is measured as 30-40dB, depending on the model. This is better than most noise-cancelling headsets that I looked at in my price range. Problem: while you can go try headphones at various stores, trying canalphones is essentially impossible, since no one wants to have demo units that people are *sticking in their ears*. Mmmm, ear wax.
Well, I got to finally try some out last night at the Glass Cube of Doom (ie, 5th Ave Apple Store, NYC). Turns out that if you *ask*, they'll bring them out for you to try, with disposable ear inserts.
I plopped down the cash for a set of Shure E3c canalphones. <3 them. Where, even in my relatively quiet office, I needed to have the music set to 4 on my laptop to hear it well, it's now at 2. I can live with that. Update: Actually, I kept it at 1 most of the evening, and it was fine.
The difference is even more dramatic in louder environments - in the Apple Store (which is crowded, noisy, and has music blaring), I popped them in, and it was almost silent. I couldn't hear the salesperson talking to me. Where I had to have the demo iPod at about 75% to hear the music clearly with a set of Bose Triports (non-noise-cancelling) and about 45% with the Bose noise-cancelling, I had it down around 20% with the Shures. And while the quality wasn't quite as good as the $599 Sennheiser studio set, it was actually better than the Bose IMO. They're rated at -30dB noise suppression with the rubber or PVC earplugs, and -37dB with the foam. (You get a variety to try and see which you like best.) The E2cs had a much flatter sound, and I wasn't going to pay 60% more for the E4cs when I don't need pro fidelity.
So here's hoping I can make it to retirement without hearing aids - I already have problems with people's speech sometimes, and have to resort to reading lips to help with accuracy. :\
Obviously, cranking up the iPod to drown out the very noisy library and coffeeshop environments that I wrote most of my dissertation in was a bad idea. :P
So, I've been looking for earphones that I can keep *low*, but still have good sound. I've been looking at noise-cancelling headphones for about a year, but every pair I've tried on make my ears feel like I've been dropped into a vacuum. It's a weird sensation, and I don't care for it too much. I figured it was the only way to go though. I was pointed at canalphones recently, and was interested in trying them out - think earplug + speaker. Instead of being liking an earbud, which sits just outside, and has to fight with external noise to be heard (ie, you have to crank it up past the ambient noise), canalphones fit *inside* your ear, down in the ear canal, just like earplugs, and the speaker pipe is much, much closer to your eardrum. Bottom line? Don't turn them up. Really. Also, noise reduction is measured as 30-40dB, depending on the model. This is better than most noise-cancelling headsets that I looked at in my price range. Problem: while you can go try headphones at various stores, trying canalphones is essentially impossible, since no one wants to have demo units that people are *sticking in their ears*. Mmmm, ear wax.
Well, I got to finally try some out last night at the Glass Cube of Doom (ie, 5th Ave Apple Store, NYC). Turns out that if you *ask*, they'll bring them out for you to try, with disposable ear inserts.
I plopped down the cash for a set of Shure E3c canalphones. <3 them. Where, even in my relatively quiet office, I needed to have the music set to 4 on my laptop to hear it well, it's now at 2. I can live with that. Update: Actually, I kept it at 1 most of the evening, and it was fine.
The difference is even more dramatic in louder environments - in the Apple Store (which is crowded, noisy, and has music blaring), I popped them in, and it was almost silent. I couldn't hear the salesperson talking to me. Where I had to have the demo iPod at about 75% to hear the music clearly with a set of Bose Triports (non-noise-cancelling) and about 45% with the Bose noise-cancelling, I had it down around 20% with the Shures. And while the quality wasn't quite as good as the $599 Sennheiser studio set, it was actually better than the Bose IMO. They're rated at -30dB noise suppression with the rubber or PVC earplugs, and -37dB with the foam. (You get a variety to try and see which you like best.) The E2cs had a much flatter sound, and I wasn't going to pay 60% more for the E4cs when I don't need pro fidelity.
So here's hoping I can make it to retirement without hearing aids - I already have problems with people's speech sometimes, and have to resort to reading lips to help with accuracy. :\